The Gifts We Don't Keep Giving

I'm panic-browsing an online collection of fine gold collar necklaces because last night My Love insisted we don't exchange gifts this Christmas. That's how I know I am screwed.

You know the drill. The spouse says they don't want you to get them anything for an anniversary or a birthday or Opening Day of Baseball Season, so you don't. Then the big day rolls around and you find some special, long-coveted desire of your heart neatly wrapped in a bow on the kitchen counter next to your morning bowl of bran pellets. 

Sigh.

I sigh because I wish that was the case for me.

Green, Green Lawns of the Uncool Home

Is anything as inseparable as a dad and his lawn?

Maybe a dad and his grill.

Or a dad and his beer.

Definitively a dad and that pair of underwear from 15 years ago with the air-conditioned crotch that’s just too dang comfy to toss.

But let’s get back to lawns and #LawnGoals because that is what the good people at Cub Cadet are paying me to write about here.

#SwifferDad Cleans Up with Modern Fathers

The following is sponsored by Swiffer, which provided the featured cleaning products as part of its #SwifferDad campaign.

When My Love and I first shacked up, we'd tried to spend every Saturday morning cleaning the condo. Vacuuming. Scrubbing. Disinfecting. That was just the corner of the closet where we tossed my used underwear.

I'm an always home and uncool #HealthyDad

Being a #HealthyDad is all about making time for myself as well as my family. That’s why I have been working hard at working out of late, hitting the elliptical and treadmill to lose my annual summer microbrew gut.

Getting enough exercise isn’t just good for the body, it is good for the mind, and when you are healthy it makes everyone around you feel healthier, too. 

Hence, I’m proud to be part of the #HealthyDad campaign.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield -- which has very good to our family in dealing with Lil Diva's Juvenile Myositis treatments over the years -- knows a thing or two about staying healthy, for instance, do you need a doctor? You can find quality doctors who are part of their network through their Find a Doctor tool. And you can check out hospitals and compare costs—including out of pocket expenses—with their Estimate Your Cost tool.

Turns out, different facilities may charge different amounts for the same service. Who knew? Also, higher prices don’t always mean better care (knew that part). You can estimate your share of the costs before you get your care, and compare facilities based on their quality measures for certain procedures, like length of stay, patient experience, complications, and more. Check it out!

XY Media sponsored a #HealthyDad video contest on Facebook and a bunch of my fellow healthy dads won some awesome prizes. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/healthydads.

NOTE: If you didn't guess by now, the preceding was a sponsored post.

Thanks to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield who sponsored the #HealthyDad campaign and for including dads in this important discussion about family health care. My views are based solely on my experience as a parent, and not as a medical professional.